Tough Day

Quite obviously, this has been a tough day around here. Busy, of course, but I wanted to make sure that we continue the dialogue here. One thing I keep hearing is that this couldn’t have happened at a worse time because of the home winning streak we have. I guess that’s why I think that if it was going to happen, this would be the time for it to happen.

We’ve seen this team come together over the last five weeks to put together the best record in baseball and we didn’t get there with one person. We’re a team and we’ll come together and hopefully be stronger when Manny comes back.

I’m sure there will be more to come on the subject, but right now this is all I can say.

As Joe Torre said a few minutes ago, we all make mistakes in life and owning up to them is important. Manny has done that…and so here’s the lineup we’ll field tonight to try and extend the record to 14 games at home.

Furcal, SS

Hudson, 2B

Ethier, RF

Loney, 1B

Martin, C

Kemp, CF

Blake, 3B

Wolf, P

Pierre, LF

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You’re right, Josh, this isn’t a one man team. Although it’s definitely a downer, it will give the young guys the chance to show what they’re made of. I predict they will do well and make us all very proud of them!

Hi everybody
Well I guess they can take Manny away from us for 50 games but they can’t take our POST 1900 13 consecutive home wins at the start of the season away. That’s ours to keep, I think, for a while. Let just root for the Dodgers to extend it, like Josh said.
GO DODGERS****

They are just saying the same thing on Dodgers Live, trublue, Michael Eaves was saying they are a very good team even without Manny. I think the young guys are going to really step up and make us proud. He is a great player regardless of the situation, but they can win without him.

I don’t have it in me to say anything negative about Manny or our Dodgers. I will still go to the games and cheer them on. I cannot even bear to read the negative comments about Manny which overflows to the innocent.. Let’s just give our guys all the support of us fans. Let’s keep the spark alive. Thanks.http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com

So, we had ManDre….does this mean now we have DreJa or DreLo? Our lefty duo is going to shine, and I can’t wait to see the young guns, along with Casey, Raffy and O-Dog take this challenge to task. It’s going to be great!!!!! GO DODGERS!!!!!!! …………..and welcome to the show X. Paul……………can’t wait to see you play🙂

bluecrewgirl ~ It’s kind of funny how Andre went from being an afterthought in Joe’s mind the first 3/4 of the season last year to being the one expected to fill Manny’s shoes while he is away. Then you have James who is now expected to pick up where Andre left off. This is going to be fun to watch just to see how it all plays out for all the players involved. And, yes,I agree………………. I like DreLo too🙂

Good evening all.
Yes, it’s a very sad day in the Dodger Blue world.
However, this team still has what it takes to take this division. We all better get used to seeing POP in the lineup. He’s still a liability in the field, but I hope he makes a contribution.
All I can say about tonights lineup is switch Loney & Kemp.
>
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GO DODGERS!

Here’s what I think of our prospects as we go along without Manny – GENERALLY GOOD.

Furcal – He showed us a level of play early last season that he may never be able to match, especially the power. He seems to be improving with the bat as the season goes along, so we can probably look ahead to greater production from him the rest of the season. I hope so, because so far he really hasn’t quite delivered on the salary he’s received over three plus years.

Hudson – I’ve always liked him, even when he played for AZ, and wanted Ned to sign him to a multiple year contract. He just needs to stay consistent at about the present level of play. The defense is just marvelous.

Andre – what a pleasure, an all-around performer with some room to grow even better. He will really be a star, and I only hope that he’s destined to stay with us.

Loney – not really living up to what I would have expected after now a couple of years in the majors. He’s one of the guys that will really have to ratchet up in Manny’s absence.

Martin – fairly disappointing this season, and I don’t have a clue why. If he comes around to his level of play from two years ago, he alone could make us forget about Manny for a while.

Kemp – started the season like gang busters, but seems to have fallen back into some bad habits at bat; defensively has been a very pleasant surprise. It may be that he’s not in a position in the lineup where he can get comfortable. I’m looking for him to improve with Manny gone and pick up some of the load.

Blake – I guess he’s producing what he normally has at this early stage in the season, so we have to look to him getting hot along with the weather. He’s been better defensively than I would have expected.

JP – what can I say? If he can find enough patience to at least walk a few times and wear down the pitcher, he’d be doing his part. I’m hoping that Torre will give Paul some chances of actually starting ballgames, which will be the only way that he can win the job away from JP.

Pitching – it’ll ultimately come down to that and probably would with or without Manny. Let’s trust that Bills is ready to maintain his Ace pace through the season, hope that Kersh finds some consistency and control, and that the bullpen can continue strong and as effective as it really has been so far. So, GO DODGERS – you’ve really got all the tools that you need, and may we go far despite this and other setbacka.

I come here neither to praise nor bury the deed, but in keeping it real, I must say this:

Manny DID NOT test positive for steroids. Or HGH. He tested positive for an Estrogen enhancement drug.

Manny and Barry have been caught using Roids the same amount of times, and that’s one less than A-Rod. (But who’s counting?)

I’m not so naive to think that it doesn’t mean that he has used HGH (Obviously, he didn’t use Roids, or else 1 of those 15 tests would’ve come back positive). But this IS Manny we’re talking about. Seeing as how this is the guy who took breaks in the Green Monster and took the field with MP3 sunglasses on… he could’ve just wanted an enhancement pill. I could see the scenario now, Manny and Dr. Nick Rivera from the Simpsons.

“HI EVERBODY!”
“Hi Dr. Nick. I was wondering, I have this… problem”
“WHAT KIND OF PROBLEM IS IT?”
“You know… a… personal problem… in bed…”
“OH, HERE, TAKE THREE OF THESE PINK ONES!!”
“But Doc… aren’t these for women?”
“NONSENSE, THERE’S NO DISCRIMINATION IN THE PHARMACY!!!”
“But Doc… these won’t test positive on a drug test or anything, right?”
“I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THAT, BUT I DO KNOW THEY’LL POSITIVELY HELP YOU WITH ANY PROBLEMS YOU HAVE!”
“Okay… Thanks Doc”
“YOU’RE WELCOME, MR. MERRIMAN”
” :: looks weirdly at Dr. Nick :: Mannyman? Haven’t heard that nickname before… I like it!!”

Okay, I totally know that didn’t happen. But I do think it would be colossally stupid to be using if you’re trying to score a huge contract, even/especially for Manny. Could’ve been bad advice… but he needed to check with the team doctor anyway… you know what they say, measure twic…

The most uplifting thing about that slam was watching the four players trot toward the dugout afterward as one four-headed beast–MartinLoneyKempEthier…the future we’ve always celebrated. Joe’s smile was priceless, too. What a great message to send to the sourpusses in the NL West just salivating for the Dodgers’ demise.

Details: Every time Juan flaps his elbow drink a shot glass of beer. When he pops up, drink two shots of beer, when he hits the first pitch for an out, drink three shots of beer and a shot of tequila. When he draws a walk, drink a glass of Whiskey, two shots of tequila and eat the worm. For every game Juan starts instead of Xavier Paul, drink two 40 oz. bottles of Old English 800 before the game starts. If he hits a homerun, drink a glass of Cheval Blanc. If he hits a Grand Slam, drink an entire bottle of 1803 Chateau Lafitte.

hey jhall, how how are? Me? well I’m a bit bummed about losing Manny for Fiddy games, but better now than later in the year. I’m confident that the rest of the team will continue to win. In fact, I really think this incident will make them a much tighter unit as they will have to deal with all the critics and naysayers who think they’ll fold. btw, I the Liquor Barn and Vendome are fighting to be offical sponsors for the ITD crew’s Juan Pierre Drinking Game.

Doing well Obi, thanks!! I’m bummed too but I do share your sentiments on our team coming together even more because of this. It’s not like the cubbard is bare. And you are right on in the fact that it is better now than in August or September.

Good evening, all. With the exception of the 1994 strike, the saddest day of my life as a baseball and Dodger fan. I was totally blown away when I first got the news this afternoon.Just another black eye that our great game doesn’t need. Still trying to sort out the facts of the situation but, bottom line, it really doesn’t matter. Manny is gone for 50 games but, with our solid young talented core, the Dodgers will survive this, go on, and flourish. During the offseason, we all wondered what our team would be like without Manny. Now we’ll get a chance to find out. We need to give our boys all the support we can because the anti-Dodger jackals will be nipping at our heels. Meanwhile, I’m waiting for the tests to come back from the lab. I’ve had some doubts about a substance I put in the ITD flask for Monday night’s game.

`Wizard of Oz’ Munchkin Mickey Carroll dies at 89 (AP)
ST. LOUIS – One of the last surviving Munchkins from the 1939 classic film “The Wizard of Oz” has died.

St. Louis actor Mickey Carroll died Thursday at the age of 89.

His caretaker, Linda Dodge, made the announcement Thursday.

Carroll was born Michael Finocchiaro in July 1919 in St. Louis, the son of Italian immigrants.
He was one of more than 100 adults and children who were recruited for “Oz” to play the natives of what author L. Frank Baum called Munchkin Country in his 1900 book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

Carroll told The Associated Press in a 2007 interview that the Munchkins made only $125 a week while filming, followed by decades of recognition.
Carroll, who was an avid Los Angeles Dodgers fan, was reading the Inside the Dodgers blog early Thursday morning when he came across all of the posts that were spoofing “Wizard of Oz” lyrics. Upon reading all of the Juan Pierre joke lyrics, he started chuckling uncontrollably and died laughing.
(Okay, I made up that last paragraph. RIP Mickey.)

LMAO again Obi!!! I’ll have what you are drinking my friend!!! Unfortunately, PIAGRA® doesn’t have the effect of enhancing performance. It just leaves you limp, shaking your head, and wondering why!!!!!

Lost in this nightmare is my favorite scapegoat, Randy Wolf. Veteran who knows the bully is gassed, given a six-run lead…and goes SIX INNINGS. Cut me a break. I wouldn’t give the ball to this guy in a truly meaningful game even if I had a one-man staff.

Must be what it felt like in late October, 1929 when the stock market crashed. That was Black Friday, this is our Black Thursday. Hopefully, “We have nothing to fear, but, fear itself.” I’m frankly, a bit worried!!!!

And here’s to you, Jackie Robinson
We’re all wond’ring what you guys would do (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Jackie Robinson
Would you say “no” or would you go astray
(Hey, hey, hey…hey, hey, hey)

We ‘spose you’ve heard about our little problem – PEDs
Some of these guys can’t seem to stop themselves
Money doesn’t keep them from injecting in their rear
They make more per game than you did in a year

And here’s to you, Jackie Robinson
We’re all wond’ring what you guys would do (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Jackie Robinson
Would you say “no” or would you go astray
(Hey, hey, hey…hey, hey, hey)

Hide it in a hiding place where no one ever goes
Put it in your locker with your jockstrap
It’s a dirty secret, well, it surely used to be
Worst of all, they’ve started selling to the kids

Coo, coo, ca-choo, Jackie Robinson
We’re all wond’ring what you guys would do (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Jackie Robinson
Would you say “no” or would you go astray
(Hey, hey, hey…hey, hey, hey)

They all say they have to do them so they can compete
All of us think it stinks worse than feet
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you’ve got to choose
Ev’ry way you look at it, we lose

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo)
What’s that you say, Jackie Robinson
Joltin’ Joe has left and gone away
(Hey, hey, hey…hey, hey, hey)

Kali, last year when Matt and Andre batted back to back for awhile they had a really good energy. I would like to see that again. If I could make the lineup, I would move Martin to 5 since he’s coming around and move Loney down to 6.

I know we didn’t help ourselves by not scoring anymore runs in innings 2-7, but we should be able to hold onto a 5 run lead after the 7th inning. Our BP just doesn’t have it tonight in any way shape or form.

ok our bullpen absolutly blows tonight… cant one of them get a damn out? 10 runs thanks to our bullpen?… im about to freaken punch something. this is unacceptable. what a crappy day for dodger baseball… I still love the Manny

Oh great, here I am in Virginia, the game is blacked out. How do they decide where it’s blacked out. Just as well, today they look like they will lose. My Dad commented to me this morning before I left, “Oh now they will lose, you aren’t going to the game!”
I’m glad I’m not there. I would probably have started crying. There is so much emotion today, this would have been too much.http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com

The mysterious hand of fate was especially cruel to Pierre tonight. After bitching and moaning for a year, he finally gets the call, his team desperately needing ANYTHING to ease the sting of Manny’s bye-bye. So Pierre stinks it up defensively in left field………….and the–at the emotional climactic moment–he bounces out with the bases loaded, killing an improbable two-out rally.

damn so close… love the never say die and never give up they showed tonight… sucks we lost, but look at the bright side the giants cant say they stopped our streak if they beat us… thats my silver lining

They are back talking about Manny on DodgersLive.
I hope they get him to expand on his explanation. If his medical problem was low testosterone due to prior usage of anabolic steroids, let him admit it. If he was taking HCG to boost his testosterone in hopes of enhancing his strength, let that come out. He gave a cryptic admission about getting a prescription for a banned drug but he did not say WHY. Let’s get EVERYTHING out in the open now so we can move on from here.

Goodnight gang, its been an emotional day to say the least. Gonna hit the old rack and get ready for the G’Nats series. I’m anxious to see what this team is made of. Its been a pleasure as always. Excelsior, True Blue Believers!!

I think we need to expect a full day of coverage on it tomorrow as well. Funny how we were complaining just the other day on how the east coast teams get all the coverage. Well, we got coverage alright………just not the kind we wanted.

Wolf was nibbling too much and running up his pitch count with a big lead. If he could have lasted another two innings, it would have lessened the strain on the bullpen. It absolutely sucks to lose a 6-0 lead against the worst team in the league. We are going to need every game of our current lead once we start playing the Cubs, Cards, Mets and Phillies.

Good Night DodgerEric/Ward Dear!!! Take Care, drive safely and we will see you tomorrow. It should be another great weekend. God Bless to you and your wonderful family. Good Luck to Matt on his big final tomorrow………..also, I heard he did awesome on his essay he did for that class – fabulous!!!! Good Night!!!

Urgh I should’ve stay in bed but to put up 9 runs without Manny is good to bad it had to come with a lose and on Loney Bday. I don’t mind losing the streak but not when you have a 6-0 in the first innings against one of the worst team in the league bot I shouldn’t consider them the worst because they do have some good hitters and the only thing that holding them back is that combined 5.40 ERA from the pitchers. You know is bad when the Nats leader in ERA by a SP is John Lannan at 4.59. I’d rather lost 11-9 if the Nats were up big 6-0 in the first with Manny playing.

Another say day in baseball and it look like Boston lost a legend and his older brother played for the Spankees. BOSTON (AP)—Dominic DiMaggio, a seven-time All Star who still holds the record for the longest consecutive game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history, has died at his Massachusetts home. He was 92.

DiMaggio died at about about 1 a.m. on Friday, according to his wife, Emily.

Known as the “Little Professor” because of his eyeglasses and his 5-foot-9, 168-pound frame, the younger brother of New York Yankees Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio hit in 34 consecutive games in 1949.

Dom’s streak was broken on Aug. 9 when his big brother caught a sinking liner in the eighth inning of a 6-3 Red Sox win over the Yankees.

In addition to his wife, the San Francisco native is survived by three children and six grandchildren.

its hard to forgive manny,but ill tell you right now i support him and will cheer for him now and when he gets back.im giving him the benefit of the doubt,even if i shouldnt.i beleive this team can we still win a good amount of games,and i beleive we are still much better than any other team in our division.we just gotta put this behind us and try and win each and every game and when manny gets back i hope they have the same exact attitude,just go out play and try your best to win.reagardless of what the media says,ill always be a dodger fan and im proudly still a manny ramirez says

JOSH – thanks for the post. It is tough and yes it came at the wrong time. But yeah the team is not only about Manny. When he comes back, I just hope that he has the same love for the game but with more respect. I hope that he has the same enthusiams and I just hope that his team members will forgive him so that we can continue playing as a team. Now it is time to play in DODGERTOWN and not in MANNYWOOD!
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Last night games was tough. The club just had a tough situation that it was going to be hard for them to win. BUT I still think that our Boys in blue were great. GrandSlam by KEMP, great job. Yeah Pitching was what screwed us up. And oh yeah all the ball were flying to Pierre:( I was really rooting for him to do well. But he just doesn’t have the arm needed for an outfielder. We are still a strong team. And Loney sorry for the LOST on your birthday. I guess if they needed to loose a game I prefer them loosing to the Nationals than the Giants…so it is time to step up!
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LET’S GO DODGERS….LET’S KICK SOME GIANTS BUTT!

And oh Yeah…prayers go out to my fellas ITD bloggers from mid to norther California. TRU, NELLY, NSTATE and many more. You guys and girls will be hearing it from the Giants fans. Stay strong. This weekend should be very interesting.
I just hope that they have extra security at the games. I’m sure those Giants fans will come and will be taunting the Dodgers Fan. DODGERS FAN STAY STRONG AND DON’T LET THOSE GNATS FAN AGGRAVATE YOU!
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LET’S GO DODGERS….LET’S KICK SOME GIANTS BUTT!

Dodgers implode and worse yet we have to watch and listen to a commercial when we sign on to the Dodgers web site. What next rename the stadium? Bed Bath and Beyond stadium! No worse than Petco.
“Lets just put up billboards in Mannywood! God knows those tickets wont sell anyway”.
I’m astonished at the amount of billboards all over the stadium. It really used to look like a class place.

Sorry, to vent but I’m angry and dissapointed over the Manny thing as well. Imagine what could have been. I really thought we were going to blow minds this year and win 110 games this year. What could have been…

My wife is NOT a baseball fan, but she blew my mind at breakfast this morning:
Astute Wife: “Isn’t Manny Ramirez the guy that took so long to sign with the Dodgers?”
Defensive Husband: “Yeah, but, you know, business is business…blah, blah…”
Astute Wife: “Could it be he was waiting until he completed a drug cycle?”

Rose – thanks for the thoughts. We are doing pretty good up here so far. I was talking to my gnat fan custodian this morning and he admitted that even though he is a Giants fan, he hopes we do well as a team just so the young players can say they did it without a high-priced player. However, he did say only when the Giants aren’t playing the Dodgers, mind you. Also, you might want to add dodgereric to your list of nor-cal fans because he, his wife and son will be a temporary Nor-Cal fans for the weekend🙂

KAHLIFORNI – things that make you say MMMM????MMM???
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Here is another MMM???MMM??
Well Wasn’t Andru Jones a power hitter then all of a sudden his is not..MMM??MMM??? He probably cleaned up during Dodger time. And if that is so…respect to Jones for staying clean and now he is playing without the help of some drug. But if that wasn’t the case than @#$@% Jones.
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There should be random testing through the MLB several times a year, no warning just test.
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LET’S GO DODGERS………….LET’S KICK SOME GIANTS BUTT!!!!!

I’m a little more POed this morning than I was yesterday. We all laughed at the “before” (Pittsburg) and “after” (SF) pictures of Bonds……but Manny’s early Cleveland pictures, compared to his Boston physique, are equally laughable. I still love Manny as a human being….his laughter…his child-like ways…but this affair is much more far-reaching than I wanted to admit. Yesterday, it was all about the Dodgers’ streak, their record, and the play-off implications. Today. it’s a gnawing realization that things will never be quite the same for this 2009 Dodger team, July 3 notwithstanding.

Winning streaks always have to come to an end, but it’s sad when you score 9 runs and still don’t win. The guys really came through on the offense and showed that they can score runs without Manny. The pitching gave reason for concern, though, and I credit the loss to Joe for the way he is handling the pitching. I have been concerned for some time about that. He is quick to pull the starters, and he brings in relievers like he has an inexhaustible supply. He has a history of overusing relievers, and he has left a wake of sore arms in his past. Just look at how many Dodger pitchers have been on the DL under him. If his tactics don’t change, I fear that Dodger pitching will be in real trouble before the season ends.

KAHLI it will not be the same, but it is up to the YOUNG ONES to make it better. They’ve got what it takes. It is up to them to clear the DODGERS name. It is up to them to proof that the 13 win streak at home is all good. It is up to them to proof that “THE DODGERS 2009” are the team to beat. It is up to them to keep the NLW title.
LET’S GO DODGERS!

I think we showed last night that we can still hit the ball. The series with the Giants will be huge because they do have some pretty good pitching. If we do well against them, our road trip won’t be too much to worry about. I do feel sorry for the guys having to go to Philly with those nasty fans….they will be on their case the entire series and I hope they will rise above the name calling, etc. Our BP has to tighten up a lot or we won’t have a chance to use Brox.

Given all the publicity with Manny, I would really like to see Bud Selig’s head roll, and I mean right into the gutter where it belongs for a lot of reasons. He’s as responsible as anyone for the “roid situation and keeping the list of 104 or whatever suspects from the public. If the government under this new administration can remove bank CEO’s at will, they really ought to put some pressure (through antitrust regulations) on Selig to go and to clean up the druggy act, past and present.

Of course, I have to make the disclosure that I’ll never forgive Selig for approving Frank as an owner.

redfox, I share your disgust for the pitching…but as I said last night, I throw a lot of the blame on Wolf, not Joe. Wolf is a veteran….given a six-run lead…on a team whose bullpen is gassed…and he WON’T pitch to contact. Game after game he runs up his pitch counts (yeah, yeah, the Nats fouled off 27 pitches last night, but…) and burdens the pen. The guy has won ONE game on a team with the best record in baseball. I can forgive Kershaw, McDonald, Stults, even Billingsley, for running up pitch counts. They’re young, still learning. But not Wolf. Hell, I’d rather see Weaver out there any day, any time. At least he’s got a little fire and the nad to challenge people.

Well we knew that pitching was going to be a problem, the media knew that pitching was going to be a problem. Now management & coaches and our pitchers need to work to fix that problem and forget about the whole Manny thing and concentrate on pitching.

kahli, agree with your analysis vs. Wolf. The guy may be an innings eater, although not as many innings as one would expect from a veteran, but he’s clearly not a winner. 1-1 record with our overall record is unacceptable.

When you consider pitching, I think that Kuroda’s situation is somewhat scary. In a way it sounds like a typical Japanese problem, whereby he’s already thrown so many pitches in his career before the major leagues that his career may be getting worn out. Similar problem has occured with the Red Sox’ ace. Gives you something to think about before offering the big contract to a 10 year Japanes league veteran.

If Kuroda can come back strong in another month, it would be a good addition to the club; otherwise, all the more reason that we’ll need to find a mid-season starting pitcher addition.

Wolf is maddening because he DOES pitch well…but he always fins a way NOT to notch a W. Speaking of pitch counts, our heroes last night, after inning one, did NOT show patience, allowing Zimmermann to move quite nicely through the game. I think they were still in Manny shock, getting away from Joe’s hitting philosophy which got them baseball’s best record.

Now this is becoming a dead horse for me. Ben Sheets. If he signs after the free agent draft in early June, there won’t be any compensation for the signing team (losing draft picks). Of course it goes without saying that with Sheets there is the injury factor. I’m sure there will be workouts to attend to see if he’s recovered. There is a risk, but the upside is tremendous for anyone who signs him and he lasts the balance of the schedule.

I certainly agree with the interest in Sheets. On your other note concerning Manny, Ned was stupid if he didn’t pro-rate the pay reduction also against deferred salary for a non-performance/suspension type of event like we’re having now. The savings on Manny should have been much more than $3.1 million.

i think casey blakes quote completely summed up what attitude the dodgers and us dodger fans need to have.

“Like we’ve said before, are we better with him? Yes, we are. We are still very, very good without him. What are we going to do? Hang it up? Shut her down the rest of the year? No. We’re competitors, this is our job and we take it seriously. I’ve got faith in everyone in here. You have to overcome adversity in life and at work.”

well said by blake

so on the bright side,we got our ace bills going tonight and we have the chance to increase our lead in the division.i got faith in this team.and we got the lakers playing tonight.hope they win!

i think casey blakes quote completely summed up what attitude the dodgers and us dodger fans need to have.

“Like we’ve said before, are we better with him? Yes, we are. We are still very, very good without him. What are we going to do? Hang it up? Shut her down the rest of the year? No. We’re competitors, this is our job and we take it seriously. I’ve got faith in everyone in here. You have to overcome adversity in life and at work.”

well said by blake

so on the bright side,we got our ace bills going tonight and we have the chance to increase our lead in the division.i got faith in this team.and we got the lakers playing tonight.hope they win!

i think casey blakes quote completely summed up what attitude the dodgers and us dodger fans need to have.

“Like we’ve said before, are we better with him? Yes, we are. We are still very, very good without him. What are we going to do? Hang it up? Shut her down the rest of the year? No. We’re competitors, this is our job and we take it seriously. I’ve got faith in everyone in here. You have to overcome adversity in life and at work.”

well said by blake

so on the bright side,we got our ace bills going tonight and we have the chance to increase our lead in the division.i got faith in this team.and we got the lakers playing tonight.hope they win!

I named my new post in my blog “The Sun Did Come out Today”. Not sure if you know that after a loss we hear “The Sun Will Come out Tomorrow.”
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I am excited about the series with the Giants this weekend! Go Dodgers Go Billz!
Emmahttp://crzblue.mlblogs.com/

Without going through the list of events that have kept me from going to a World Series game for the last 35 years, suffice it that a trip to Dodger Stadium for a World Series game has been one of the great dreams of my life. But I don’t want it this year, or any year when it is or will be tainted by cheaters. I’ve waited too long to go to a tainted World Series.
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Thus I find myself in the bizarre position of hoping we don’t make the post-season this year or next year so long as Manny is on the team.
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On the one hand, I would love to see the young guns play great for the next 50 Manny-less games; on the other hand, the better they play the more likely it is that the Dodgers first World Championship in more than 2 decades will be a fraud.
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I’ve been through a lot of BS in my years as a fan: the Designated Hitter, the 1994 strike; the trade of Mike Piazza (who, we might as well admit, was probably a juicer too); the McGwire-Sosa homerun chase which any observant baseball fan knew at the time was the result of some funny business although we weren’t quite sure what the funny business was at the time; the idiocy of the Coliseum Commission and Mark Ridley-Thomas in particular in continually blocking every effort to put an NFL team anywhere in the Greater Los Angeles area other than the Coliseum despite the repeated clear messages from the NFL that the league had no interest in South-Central L.A. and as a result the denial of the O’Malley family an NFL franchise; the resulting sale of the baseball Dodgers: which resulted in the sale of the Dodgers to Fox; which resulted in the above-mentioned trade of Piazza; the destruction of the “Game Over” memories by another juicer, Eric Gagne; interleague play; the blind eye of virtually every important figure in and around baseball to the obvious and prolific use of PEDs (thus making one of the biggest juicers ever, Jose Canseco, a strange hero); the desecration of the record book by Barry Bonds and so many others; and now the ruination for me for at least two years of a core of young players who I was in love with (and to tell you the truth about whom I now have to wonder if any among them is juiced); the complicity in the ongoing Steroid Era of the player’s union, the owners, management at all levels and of course the man most to blame for the destruction of major league baseball Bud Selig.
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I can’t remember who the old-timer was that said that if the owners could ruin the game, they would have done it by now. I’m not so sure anymore.
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I have said that I have been many things in my life, some of them at odds with one another: a soldier and a peacenik; a Democrat, an Independent, a Libertarian, and a Republican; an atheistic leaning agnostic, etc… but the one thing I have always been is a Dodgers fan. I know a few former huge baseball fans who have walked away from the game completely, and I always thought they were a little crazy for doing so, but right now I’m thinking of doing it myself.
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Well, not exactly. Nobody can destroy baseball; they can only destroy the way it’s played by some people in some places. I might have to limit my baseball for some time to come to Little League (say 8 years and under, I don’t even trust beer league softball) and old versions of Strat-O-Matic.
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Maybe you guys can talk me off the ledge. God knows I don’t want to jump, but Manny has just pushed me to the very brink.

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